Machine for making stereotype-plates.



c. E. HOPKINS. MACHINE FOR MAKING STEREQTYPE PLATES. APPLICATION FiLED AUG-U. 1905- RENEWED MAR. 1,1916.

1,2402%. Patentedfiept. 18,1917;

4' SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wilmeaod a 3mm to e: Z mg M 4 3 W C. E. HOPKlNS. MACHINE ron MAKING STEREOT 'APPLICM 'WN FILEQ MIGJI. 1905- RENE YPE PLATES.

who MAR. 1.

Patented Sept. 18, 1917;

4, SHEETS-SHEET 3.

0. E HOPKlNS. MAC uuuuu m EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE s.

ED Ml RENEWED MAR. 111916.

Patented Sept. 18,1917.

4 EEEE TS- EEEEE 4.

F'Ai ML r' CHARLES EDWARD HOPKINS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MACHINE FOR MAKING STEREO'IYPE-PLATES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept; 18, 1917.

Application filed August 11, 1905, Serial No. 273,761. Renewed March 1, 1916. Serial No. 81,548.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES EDWARD HoPKINs, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Stereotype-Plates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof. V

This invention relates to machines for making stereotype plates, and particularly to machines of this character which are provided with a cylindrical core mounted in an upright or substantially vertical position and remaining in this position during the entire operation of producing a stereotype plate.

The general object of the invention is to simplify the operation of such machines whereby the operator may have, nothing more to do in making a plate than to insert the matrix, move the drag up to the core, introduce the molten metal, and then with draw the drag, the operations of stripping the matrix from the plate, trimming the plate, and removing the. plate after each casting being entirely automatic. In this way, these machines are adapted for the ordinary printing ofiice Where it is desirable that stereotype plates be cast with the utmost convenience and expedition.

The various improvements toward these ends .will be described fully hereinafter and with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a view in side elevation of a machine embodying the improvements,

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the same, the platforms for receiving the cast plates and the slugs being cut away, and

Fig. 3 is a plan. view, the clutch mechanism between the driving mechanism and the core being shown in sectional detail.

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken horizontally through the core, drag and one of the matrix holders as the parts are in position for casting; this view being upon a much larger scale to illustrate the relation cylindrical core which always remains in itsupright position but some of the improvements, as it will be shown hereinafter, are capable of being applied in other types of casting machines. In the machine shown in the drawing, this upright cylindrical core is indicated at A, said core being preferably hollow and being provided with transverse grooves 1 in its periphery, as usual. This core is, journaled in the frame B of the machine which is provided with a cross-piece 10 through which the top journal 2 of the core extends, the bottom of the core having an annular projection 3 which is journaled in a bearing ring 11 upon the base of the frame.

This core is driven intermittently, as will be explained hereinafter, and for this purpose may be provided with a bevel gear 4L fast upon journal'fZ, said gear meshing with a bevel gear 5 fastrupon a shaft 6 journaled in the frame of the machine. The said shaft receives power from the driving shaft C, which is provided with a worm 20 which meshes with a worm gear 7 operating loosely on the shaft 6. A clutch D is provided so as to connect and disconnect the worm gear 7 and the shaft 6 in order to impart to the core the'intermittent rotation above referred to. The operation of this clutch will be described hereinafter.

Cooperating with the core A to form the casting chamber is a back or drag E which is adapted to move up to and back from the core. For this purpose the back or drag may slide in guide-ways 12 upon the frame, and means such as toggles and 31 and a lever 32 may be provided to move the drag forward and backward. There is preferably a pair of toggles for this purpose, each of which may consist of a long arm 30 pivoted to the drag and a short arm 31 pivoted to a shaft 38 journaled in the frame of the machine, the lever 32 being keyed to this shaft.

Mounted on a suitable bearing frame F is the trimming mechanism for trimming the curved edges of the cast plate. In the present case this trimrning mechanism comprises two rotary cutters 40 secured upon a shaft 4-1 suitably mounted in the bearing frame F. Also secured upon this shaftl is a gear l2 which is always in mesh with a gear 43 keyed upon the driving shaft 0.

the bearing frame F is supported loosely upon the drivingshaft C, as shown in Figs.

2 and 3 of the drawing, and a sector eta is rigidly secured to said shaft and meshes with a rack 45 secured to or formed integral with the drag. The sector and rack are "so arranged with reference to their associated parts that as the drag is moved up to the core so as to form a casting chamber therewith, the bearing frame F will be swung out'so as to move the cutters out of their operative position adjacent to the core and when the drag is moved back from the core, the bearing frame F will be swung in again to bring the cutters back to their operative positions. The cutters preferably operate in grooves 13 which are provided in the core, thusmaking a clearance for the cutters whereby each cutter may produce ashearing cut against one edge of its corresponding groove and completely sever its plate from the tails or slugs, Upon the lower end of the core is a ring 8 having its top surface'flat which projects beyond the periphery of the core about the desired thickness of the plate and forms, as is ob vious, the lower side of the casting chamber. The cast plate will therefore be formed with 'a square lower edge which is beveled,

as usual, by the operation of the lower cutter.

As stated above, the rotation of the core A is intermittent. When the drag is moved up to the coreto form the casting chamber, the core is stationary. The plate is then cast, while the cutters are out of their operative position. As soon as the drag is moved back however, we have seen that the cutters are moved into their operative positions. Simultaneously with the throwing into operative position of the cutters, the core is started in rotation. For this pur- "pose suitable means may be provided to operatively connect the drag with the clutch D, whereby as the drag is moved back and throws in the cutters, the clutch may be operated to connect up the shaft 6 with the driving'mechanism. One member of'the clutchD. in the present case, comprises a collar 50 fa'st on the shaft 6 in which there isa key 51 the toe of which works in a longitudinal slot formed in the collar. The other member of the clutch consists of a reces 52in a hub formed upon the worm gear 7 The key 51 is'normally urged'into the recess 52 by a spring 53, one end of which is connected to the key while the other end bears against the collar in Which the key works. The head of the key rests in a transverse groove 54L in the collar 50 and into said groove projects a cam 55 which acts to draw out the key and check the further rotation of the collar from the recess 52 thus disengaging the two clutch members. The starting of the core in rotation is effected by pulling the cam 55 out of engagement with the head of the key and for this purposea rod 55 is connected with the cam. l/Vhen the cam is thus moved out of engagement with the headof'th'e key, the latter will be urged forward by its spring and will engage in the recess 52, when that recess is brought around by the rotation of the hub 7, and the shaft 6 will be turned through one revolution. The rod 55 is provided with a' spring catch 56 which hooks on to one end of a bell-crank 57,the. other end of the bell-crank being connected by a link-58 with the drag. These connections between the drag and the rod 55'are such that the drag is permitted to move back from the core to some eXtent before the end of the rod 55 is drawn out from the groove 54: to permit the core to be operated. The rod 55 has a spring 59 which holds the rod normally in such a position that its cam rests in the groove 54. It will be obvious therefore that the camon the end of the rod 55 will always remain in the groove 54 with the head of the key engagingsaid end except when the drag is moved back from the core, in which case the rod will be with drawn and will permit the key to be actuated by its spring 53 to engage the recess 52 in the collar 50.f On account of the spring catch 56, however, the rod'55 will beieleased by the bell-crank and will spring back immediately as the drag has reached its outermost position and the cam 'on the end of the rod 55 will'thus be in a position to be engaged again by the key as soon as the shaft 6 has made one revolution.

For holding the matrix Gwhich is provided, as usual, upon its edges withflat margins 60 and bolsters 61 between said margins and the type face, elongated members 62 are provided and are preferably pivoted or hinged to the forward end of the drag. These members are provided with a slot 63 which is curved at its entrance, indicated at 64. Into this curved portion oft-the slots ineach member, the bolsters of the matrix straight portions of the slots. In order to form the curved portions'of the slots it is preferable to provide long strips 66 the front edges of which are curved and fit underneath the bolsters.

The pivoted members 62 are provided with arms 67 the ends of which may be provided with pins or projections to engage thecams 68 mounted at each side of the core. W hen the drag moves forward the pins or projections upon the arms 67 engage the cams and cause the members 62 to swing in upon their pivots against the action of springs 69 tending to hold them outward. Then the drag has closed in upon the core and the pivoted members 62 have been forced down upon the drag, said members are held in this position by adjustable stops 72 secured to the frame of the machine. In order to prevent the molten metal-from enteringthe slot 63 in the members during the casting operation, these slots are arranged in such positions that when the drag is moved up to the core and the pivoted members 62 are swung in and brought down against the drag the drag will force the face of thebolsters of the matrix tightly against the concave entrances of the slots. The pivoted members 62 are also provided with additional arms which together with the arms 67 serve to force the trimmed stereotype plates and the slugs from the core on to platform 71, the upper platform being providedto receive the slugs and the lower platform to receive the trimmed stereotype plates. After the casting operation, and when the drag is moved back from the core, the springs 69 cause the pivoted members 62 to open and the pins upon the ends of the arms 67 to move back on the outsides of the cams 68, in this way stripping or unwinding the matrix from the curved sides ofthe cast and the continuing backward movement of the drag separating entirely the matrix from the cast.

In order to cool the core so that the castings may be made in rapid succession, a perforated pipeSO extending up intothe hollow core A, preferably centrally thereof, is secured in the base of the frame and communicates with a hollow chamber 81 therein,

In order to cool thedrag, which'is'also made hollow, water is supplied at the bottom througha valve 84 and escapes from the top of the drag through a valve85', the drag in this way always beingkept filled with water, i I

When .the machine is operated to cast a stereotype plate, the operator, with the drag in the position shown in Fig. 3, first inserts a matrix G in the manner already described, pushing it down to the bottom of the slots in the members 62. If the matrix is shorter than the length of the chamber, a suitable sheet iron tail-piece may be inserted in a similar manner to overlap the upper margin of the matrix. The operator then grasps the lever 32, pulls it up and thereby moves the drag up to the core to form the casting chamber. During this operation the pivoted members 62 close down upon the drag as already described, and the trimming mechanism is moved out of operative posi tion. The casting chamber is now filled with molten metal by means of a ladle or a pump or in any other suitable manner. Where the metal is poured in from a ladle it is-poured on the top of the core which has a conical shape and is provided with oppositely placed wings or fins 14 to confine the metal to one side of the core. The core being kept very cool, the metal very soon becomes set and the operator then moves the lever 32 forward and downward thus withdrawing the drag from the core and stripping the matrix and removing the same entirely from the case in the manner already described. As soon as the matrix has been completely removed from the cast, the clutch mechanism D operates, as heretofore described, to start the core in rotation. "The gears i and 5 are such that one complete ro-' tation of the shaft 6 effects only one-half a rotation of the cylindrical core, and the core therefore once started-in rotation moves half way around orsubstantially 180 degrees carrying the castingthrough and past the trimmers which have been moved into operative position by the backward movement of the drag. When the core ceases rotating, the trimmed cast plate and the slug will have been carried around substantially 180 degrees with the core and will be in a position precisely opposite to that in which the casting of the same was effected. In this position, when the drag is again moved forward to effect the next casting, the arms upon the pivoted members .6 2 will loosen and force the trimmed stereotype plate and the-slug from off the core on to their respective platforms 71..

It should be observed that owing to the fact that only a portion ofthe bolsters are exposed to the casting chamber at the verticalsides thereof, the plate will be cast with corresponding recesses 65 at each side thereof. In this way, the cast will be formed at the sides with portions which are below the plane of the type face and therefore will not be required to be trimmed'in order to finish the same, as heretofore.

As has been heretofore mentioned, alth ough the improvements have been described with reference particularly to a machine having for rotating the core constituting means whereby the core is set in operation as the drag is moved away from the core. 7

11. In a machine for making stereotype 5 plates, the combination of a rotatable cylindrical core and a drag forming the casting chamber, With trimming mechanism for the plate, means to rotate the core to deliver the cast plate from the casting chamber to and 10 through the trimming mechanism, and

means independent of the core for supporting a riser portion of the stereotype plate during and after its separation from the type portions.

This specification signed and witnessed 15 this 9th day of August, 1905.

CHARLES EDWARD HOPKINS. Signed in the presence of LUCIUS E. VARNEY, ANTHONY N. JEsBERA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

